Memphis Woman Claims The Police Fatally Shot Her Unarmed Fiance

News

Debra Nesbit, the fiancée of Alexico Allen, who was fatally shot recently in Memphis, Tenn., spoke out on what really happened, contrary to what officials believe. The police engaged in a power struggle over a firearm Allen had on him, but still shot him after he gave up the gun.

Nesbit claims that Allen, “was shot in the back by an officer as he was surrendering a rifle to her during a confrontation with police—and then again in the chest as he lay dying—contradicting the assertion by investigators,” according to the Associated Press.

Initially, a news conference organized by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on March 24, a day after the incident happened, affirmed the testimony of the officers—which states that Allen was shot after refusing to let go of the firearm while aiming it at the officer.

Still, Nesbit proceeded with her testimony on March 31, saying that the police originally came because of a call Allen made to the department stating that an unknown person was in his backyard. Yet when the police arrived at the scene, they reported not seeing such person on the property. After that, the police reportedly went back to the house because Allen’s mother dialed 911 claiming that her son was seeing hallucinations.

Here are more details and insight on what happened, according to The Associated Press.

Nesbit says three officers entered the house and asked if there were any guns in the house. They told Allen to put his hands on the wall. He then put his hands on a door jamb.

Nesbit said there was a rifle in the house, and she went to retrieve it from a closet. She found the rifle and slid it down a hallway toward the officers, with the muzzle facing her, Nesbit said.

“I said, ‘Y’all, come and get the gun … I slid the gun so it would not be facing no officer.”’

Allen then walked toward the rifle and picked it up by the butt, Nesbit said.

Nesbit said she walked toward Allen and begged him to give her the gun, “because if you don’t they’re going to shoot you,” she said.

With his back to the officers as he faced Nesbit, Allen handed her the rifle as one officer fired two shots toward his back from just a few feet away, Nesbit said. She said the muzzle of the rifle was pointed at her when the officer fired.

“When he shot him, the gun was in my hand,” said Nesbit. “He already released it … there wasn’t no struggle.”

Reportedly, after the shots were fired, Allen took one step toward the police, which then led to them to shoot him in the chest. “He stepped up and he shot him in the chest, pow,” Nesbit told the AP.

When Allen began to protest against the shots fired, the officers told her to be “be quiet,” and said that, “Allen could have snatched the gun from her and hurt her.”

Nesbit was detained in a police vehicle for two to three hours before giving a statement to officials. Further details for this story are still pending.